The CBO says as many as 24 million more Americans could be uninsured under 'Trumpcare'

03/13/2017

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The Congressional Budget Office estimated that 24 million people could lose their insurance under the American Health Care Act.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin Republican, focused on the projected premium decreases, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat, focused on the increase in the number of uninsured people.

BusinessInsider

The Congressional Budget Office on Monday estimated that as many as 24 million more people would be uninsured and that the federal budget deficit would shrink by more than $300 billion over the next decade under the Republican healthcare bill.

The findings came in a much-anticipated report detailing the possible effects of the American Health Care Act, the GOP leadership's plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

The report estimated the effects of the AHCA in several areas, including coverage totals, the federal deficit, and the cost of premiums in the individual market.

Here's a rundown of the major findings:

Critics of the law had pointed to the CBO score as a way to better understand the potential effects of the AHCA on the federal budget and the US healthcare system.

In a statement after the release of the report, House Speaker Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin Republican, focused on the projected premium decreases, saying it proved that the AHCA could be successful:

"I recognize and appreciate concerns about making sure people have access to coverage. Under Obamacare, we have seen how government-mandated coverage does not equal access to care, and now the law is collapsing. Our plan is not about forcing people to buy expensive, one-size-fits-all coverage. It is about giving people more choices and better access to a plan they want and can afford. When people have more choices, costs go down. That's what this report shows. And, as we have long said, there will be a stable transition so that no one has the rug pulled out from under them."

On the other hand, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat, focused on the increase in the number of uninsured people.

"The CBO's estimate makes clear that Trumpcare will cause serious harm to millions of American families," a statement from Schumer said. "Tens of millions will lose their coverage, and millions more, particularly seniors, will have to pay more for healthcare. The CBO score shows just how empty the president's promises, that everyone will be covered and costs will go down, have been. This should be a looming stop sign for the Republicans' repeal effort."

The White House and proponents of the AHCA have spent much of the past week casting doubts on the CBO score in an attempt to blunt the widely expected blow from the report.

In a press conference last week, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said, "If you're looking at the CBO for accuracy, you're looking in the wrong place." Other White House surrogates, such as National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn and Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, criticized the CBO's accuracy in interviews on Sunday.

The AHCA passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Ways and Means Committee on Thursday, and it is scheduled to be considered by the House Budget Committee on Wednesday.